Dopamine dependent behaviours in rats with bilateral ibotenic acid-induced lesions of the globus pallidus

Abstract

Amphetamine hyperactivity, apomorphine stereotypy and haloperidol catalepsy were studied in rats following selective damage to cell bodies within the globus pallidus (GP). Ibotenic acid-induced bilateral lesions of GP attenuated the spontaneous locomotion of rats, but they did not influence the locomotor response to amphetamine. Apomorphine-induced gnawing and licking but not sniffing were attenuated in rats with GP lesions. The effect of haloperidol on catalepsy was enhanced following the GP lesion. It is concluded that the normal expression of some dopamine-related functions depends to a great degree on the integrity of cells within the GP region.